Boo Boo

Hannah sure had me giggling today when we were playing outside together. After enjoying many laps around and around, she inevitably took a spill on the cement. Surprisingly she got right up and said "I'm o-tay" and continued running... for only a few short minutes. It seems that all of a sudden she realized that she fell. She dramatically rolled up her pant leg and announced to me, "Be careful. Don't touch it." It was SOOO funny. Then she started limping around repeating it over and over and over. I came at her with wiggling fingers and said I was going to touch it and she let out a squeal and ran away. That's when I knew she was totally fine and completely functional despite the boo boo on her knee. The dramatic phrase was repeated throughout the rest of the afternoon for a while and she even requested her "boo boo princess" ice pack. (see picture) Kids are so funny!

Decisions

Had a tough conversation with Matt tonight about going back to work. It honestly gave me a stomach ache. I love, love, love being home with my girls. Hannah is changing every day and watching McKenna smile at me just warms my heart. I also love teaching. What will I do with the girls while I go back, if I do? I don't want to miss out on all of the things I am learning about them. This is just too hard to write about anymore.

It's heavy on my heart. Please pray for us. I need to know what's best for our growing little family and I cannot truly know or understand the plan without God's help.

Updates

I have not been very faithful in posts lately since the arrival of our newest baby girl, McKenna Joy. It's already been almost seven weeks of learning how to take care of a newborn AND entertaining/disciplining/keeping my cool with our 2 yr old!

We are learning many things every day about McKenna and Hannah. First of all, Hannah has adapted to having a little sister very well. To say she "loves" baby McKenna doesn't really put it into perspective. She adores her. When she cries Hannah tells me, "The baby is crying!" Sometimes this is followed by "I'm gonna get her..." which means I am running behind to see exactly what she means by "get" her. So far- so good. She hasn't tried to pick her up without me there yet. Hannah also wants to help her sister whether she actually needs help or not. McKenna will be peacefully sleeping when rudely awakened by a huge PUSH in the swing and Hannah saying "I push her, I push her." Or poor McKenna has a pacifier being jammed into her mouth when she is silently asleep because Hannah thinks she needs it at that exact moment. It may be frustrating at the moment but in the big picture it's the sweetest thing ever.

McKenna is sleeping about 3 hours on the dot at night. It's almost like she has a timer in her little body! When Matt wakes up he asks me what time she ate- I have no idea how to respond because it's like I'm just going through the motions. All I remember is that she ate and went back to sleep. Those are both good things- if she didn't fall back asleep I usually let him know cause guess what? It's HIS turn!!

While my sister was watching Hannah last night, all of a sudden she turned to her Aunt Stacey and said "I need to talk to my mommy" and started looking for me. I don't know WHAT she wanted to talk to me about- I have never heard this phrase from her but it cracked me up!! I love learning the funny things she says each day. Our household is never free from laughter.

Things are going well. Adjusting for sure. Some REALLY hard moments and usually followed by tears or frustration. But not too far from that moment will be followed by a sweet kiss and a moment to be cherished.

Bare Naked Hugs

Last night Hannah was bouncing all around before her bath in just her diaper. She danced to the music and seemed very pleased with her creative moves. After the bath she has a new routine of running through the house with her towel over her head exclaiming "I'M NAKED!!!" to anyone who wants to know. Matt and I rounded her up and got her in her room to put on her fresh diaper and pj's. Out of nowhere she stood up and just gave Matt the biggest, sweetest hug and rested her head right on his shoulder. It was the most precious thing to watch. She just looked so grown up- yet so tiny in his arms with her cute little bare behind still unclothed. As I was enjoying that moment it wasn't too long until she made her way over to me and repeated the same sweet gestures. I love our baby girl. She certainly is a gift from God.

Hannah's Latest Creativity

Last week and this week have brought along some adventure. We are trying to do nap time in Hannah's big girl bed and it sometimes works... and sometimes doesn't. She usually brings books or toys into her bed for a little bit then falls asleep. Well NOT LATELY.

The first creative move was "how to draw on arms and legs with marker". I forgot about the bag of highlighters and school supplies in her closet- she has just recently enjoyed figuring out how to unzip things so it hadn't been a problem. It was just in the closet and I had forgotten. WELL Little Miss H found it, took a peek inside and WOW! Markers! She took the caps off of every yellow (thank goodness) highlighter and creatively drew on her legs, arms, hands, socks, bed, and stuffed animals. Thankfully the baby wipes eliminated some of the art work but some of her animals may be tattooed permanently.

The next creative move was discovering how exciting diaper cream is. I checked in on her yesterday after smelling a very strong odor from her door... similar to Preparation H I was thinking. I opened the door to see her sitting with the tube of Vitamin A&D cream in one hand all squeezed out and her hands complete gel. YUCK. I could see all the things she wanted to play with and smear it on- electronic toys, drawing boards, and her clothes. Did I say yuck yet???? Baby wipes once again to the rescue. As far as the smell... we are still working on it. Smells like a Dr's office in our hallway and her bedroom.

God is teaching me patience. Between the creative art with household supplies.... and the constant whining.... it's all practice. I'm being molded, stretched, and created into a Mommy.

Finger Painting!

Yesterday we got out the finger paints and gave it a try. Hannah had a fun time exploring how it feels to have the paint on her fingers... and hands... and pretty soon her body! She enjoyed making "robots" as she told me they were.

With each new experience I am learning more and more that Hannah is definitely not a messy girl. The painting only lasted about 10-15 minutes before she realized how truly messy her hands were. Next thing I knew she was asking me "hands, mommy... ewwww messy".

If this next baby is a BOY my world is going to be looking a little different I think. Hannah's too. We'll have to see!

"Boogie, Mommy"

It is a common phrase in our household lately. "Boogie, Mommy. I can't get it." Hannah has learned that she can use her finger to fish out her boogies... I know. YUCK. Let me paint the picture of what happened today...

We were in the car and Hannah was contently snacking on raisins. I heard her start to talk about "boogies" and turned to see her finger in her nose. I was afraid that she may be sticking raisins up there so I told her not to. As the car ride continued, so did her complaints. "I can't get it, Mommy. Ow. Ow." What was I supposed to do- I was driving! We were close to home, so I explained we would blow her nose when we got home. "O-tay" she said.

We got home and the complaints continued and I got out a kleenex for her to blow her nose. (She has become very good at this and doesn't complain anymore.) I couldn't see ANYTHING up her nose or in the kleenex. I thought- PHEW, problem solved. She seemed to be pleased again and went on to playing.

Throughout the day I kept hearing complaints of her nose hurting, that there were boogies that she couldn't get, etc. I wasn't sure what to do for her and thought she was just being over dramatic.

.... 2 hours (or more) later we were enjoying a little cartoon together when I look over and she is tilting her head down and pulling a RAISIN out of her NOSE!!!! Sure enough... she stuck it up there earlier (to make my suspicions correct). THAT was why she was complaining!! I would imagine a raisin up your nose may cause a little bit of discomfort.

PS- This is not the first time a "mystery" disappearance has occurred. When we were on our way to Hilton Head, Hannah said that there was a sticker up her nose. HOURS later it came out... let's hope this habit breaks soon.

Mommies, Mommies

Me with Hannah, Sarita with Brayden, Danielle with her baby girl and Jackson

I have joined a Mommies Group! We are having so much fun meeting at other's houses, splash pads, water parks, and occasional mommies only nights!! It's just what I've needed. Transitioning into full time mommy and not working mommy has had its ups and downs. Part of me misses the routine and part of me totally doesn't! I have felt a little burdened to be in the same place daily and have been praying about what God wants for me on this journey.

I got on the internet and found "Christian Mommies of the East Valley" and joined up! I have met wonderful moms, shared advice about parenting, got some great book recommendations (yay!), and best of all, Hannah is meeting new friends, too! She plays great with the boys and girls.

Having a small event to look forward to once or twice a week and great fellowship with other Christian moms is fantastic! I am also looking into joining up with the Mops group (moms) at our church. It's a new way of going about my weeks... but I certainly am feeling better about it!

"I told you so"

Nap times have been much more difficult for us since the new toddler bed. Apparently Hannah's easy access to the toys in her room are a distraction... hmmm. When it is nap time we follow the same routine: story time in bed, tuck her in, lights out, and then she is supposed to close her beautiful blue eyes and drift off to sleepy land. This has only happened ONCE since we moved her into the bed.

But today (drum roll please) she is STILL sleeping as I type this and it's been almost three hours! I peeked in after only about five minutes and she was silently sleeping cuddling her little baby doll and her book on her tummy.

So I ask myself, is it because she woke up at 5am?? Or because she woke up at 1am before that? Or because she didn't fall asleep until 9pm? I'm sure she was verrrry tired. I think through these options and I hear Matt's voice in the back of my head... "I told you so." WHY?? Because he tells me that if we were to wake up early enough she would be tired enough to take a nap. Hmmmm. Maybe he's right. I'll have to ponder this a little more... It's just so nice to sleep in until 7:30-8 each morning. But it is REALLY nice to have her sleeping while I get a few extra things done AND a nap myself...

Thinking About Baby

As we head into week #31 I have been thinking more and more about how our life is going to change yet again! I caught myself stopping in the hallway and looking in both children's rooms... Hannah's and the new baby's... it was a strange feeling to know that we will have TWO children! I wonder lots of things:

Will Hannah be jealous? Will Hannah act out and want a lot more attention? Or will she welcome the new baby with excitement? Will this baby be as "easy" as Hannah was? Will it be a BOY or a GIRL? If it's a boy... how do I take care of a BOY??? (sounds funny but I really wonder that last one)

This pregnancy has been very similar to my pregnancy with Hannah. The hot months make it a little harder on me and causes a lot of nausea and little annoyances. It's harder to run errands in the heat PLUS being pregnant AND with a toddler. But I do it. I learn something new each time I go out- a little trick to keep Hannah occupied or something to make the ride a little more fun for her. My best trick to distract her from how hot her carseat really is: Give her cold water and tell her to drink it and it will make everything cooler. It works! She asks right away for "code water" and doesn't complain as much about how hot it is.

So like every other change that has come our way, we will adapt. I'm sure we will struggle a little... cry a little (or a lot..), hopefully laugh through it, too. Thankfully and graciously we have our heavenly Father in control of it all. That's the only way I can get through my days!!

Happy Hannah = Happy Mommy

Success!! We met up with Nana and Papa for lunch today without any fits! The car ride there was pleasant and Hannah did not mind the radio station that I was listening to. (She has been protesting songs lately) I thought I might take advantage of the cheery mood and stop over at Ross.... holding my hand (wow!) through the parking lot, I kept praising Hannah for being such a big girl to hold mommy's hand all by herself. She was so good that we walked through the store together- her little 2 yr. old self following me around. This is the first time I have ever tried this- usually she sits in the cart. Once again, I continued the praise for being such a good girl. I thought, hey maybe we can even make it through Target, since I did not find what I wanted at Ross. After changing a poopy diaper and making my own pit stop we successfully shopped our way through Target with Hannah in the cart. I found what I needed and we went home! I just couldn't believe it! Two stops AND lunch without any fits, screams, outbursts, or tears. I think I have decided to not go out for a while and let this good feeling settle for a while... :)

Amazing Moments

I have been working very hard on Hannah's "big girl" room. We painted the walls purple and I stenciled a cupcake pattern for a border. I have been searching high and low for anything with cupcakes to add to the theme. Most of the things in there are created by me. It's been fun!

So after much debate over "twin" size bed vs. "toddler" bed we decided on the toddler bed for a few reasons. 1) CHEAPER 2) we already had a mattress from the crib- which the baby won't need right away anyhow 3) the new room is a little small so we thought the toddler bed would fit nicely and 4) between Hannah and the new baby it will get a lot of use!

We ordered the bed online and I have been faithfully checking my email to see when it would arrive. If we had it shipped to Walmart it would be free instead of shipping it to our house (about $20 more).

Today was the big day! The bed arrived and Matt picked it up after work. I could hardly wait to have the final touches done in her room. It did not take very long to put together (to Matt's relief) and Hannah would periodically come in to check to see "ready, Daddy?".

We put the new mattress with the new polka dot sheets on the new bed and "WA LA!!' it was complete! To encourage my excitement it all looked perfect! Hannah came running into the room right after her bath and was very thrilled to see her big girl bed ready. She could hardly wait to test it out. Little did I know what was coming...

I have not really been an emotional person. She has had her "firsts" and I smile proudly, take pictures, and journal about it leaving the tears behind. BUT tonight was (almost) a different story. Here she was all cuddled up in her pj's, tucked into her new bed, and she has the biggest smile on her face. We got out a story to read as we do each night and she wanted to read it all by herself this time. Then when it was time for prayers she closed her eyes and began-- all BY HERSELF. It sounded a little like this "Dear God, Love Mommy, Love Daddy, Thank you. Amen". I couldn't believe it. Usually we say a few things and she repeats some things and then she says Amen. But not tonight. Tonight Hannah was a big girl.

That's when I was almost brought to tears. But that's not it. As we closed the door we heard her say, "Big girl now." TOO cute. It's moments like these that I want to wrap up into a bottle and save to take out again another day. What a blessing from God. I love being a mommy.

The Troubles of Being Two

Lately life as a mommy has been more difficult. As Hannah grows into her personality more each day, the grumpiness, crankiness, and pushing my buttons has come right with it. I love her so dearly but I will have to say that I wish there was a fast-forward button invented so that we could slide right through the tantrums that come with not getting her way.

It's becoming a learning experience for Matt and me. We have learned the "counting to 3" technique... the "time-out" technique... and the not so fun "spanking" technique. I am also learning to just be patient. These times will eventually go away... right??? Of course it all comes with the cute looks that have developed- she thinks it may work to squiggle out of a spanking and right into getting what "Hannah" wants. So this is where I have learned perseverance and consistency. And just plain holding my foot down when it comes to belief that she shouldn't be acting one way or another.

It's all worth it to me. Raising our child to learn discipline and obedience will definitely be worth it. This is what I tell myself during screaming fits in the car and crocodile tears in the store.

But she's still cute.

Hannah Turns 2

Elmo came to wish Hannah a Happy Birthday!

Hannah opened presents... played with Maggie and Asher... and ate lots of cake!

What a great birthday for her!

The famous Heath Bar Birthday Cake-- YUMMY!!! Everyone's favorite!

Look at how tired she was- totally asleep by the time we got home. How sweet...

Family Vacation in SC!

YAY Boogie Board!

Grandpa and Hannah strolling along...

Touching one of the MANY starfish we found on the beach! (mostly in the water)

"Up" mommy! "Up" daddy! She loves to hold our hands and swing her.

Beach Babe already...

Here we are at Hilton Head Island! Hannah had an absolute blast! Of course, so did Grandma and Grandpa J! Each day we woke up and headed straight for the beach after breakfast. Hannah found spots on the beach where the water stayed in a little canal at about 1 1/2 ft deep and she could splash around to her heart's desire! She loved digging and making "sand castles" too. She approached the ocean a few times but wasn't a big fan of it until the last day! There was no wind and hardly any waves. Grandma brought her right in and she loved it.

One day we took an excursion to see dolphins- I highly recommend it! It was "guaranteed" to see them and we definitely did. Hannah loved it and now she recognizes all pictures of dolphins. That afternoon we spent some time shopping and enjoying the beautiful island.

It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with my parents and sister and Aaron. They really got to see how much Hannah has grown. It's hard to explain the cute little things she does. I can't really describe her personality with words. I hope we are able to start a summer vacation tradition!

No New Posts...

So I have tried to put up new pictures of Hannah- some of the beach vacation we took to Hilton Head Island, Bucky and Grami's 50th anniversary celebration, and summer fun- but NO luck. I thought I could manage my way through this "easy" blog but I guess not! What a bummer!

When I try to put up pictures for a new post, nothing happens! I click on the photo icon and wait and nothing!

Maybe my other half will be able to assist me. I hope so! Sorry everyone!

Things We've Learned About Hannah

As we are nearing Hannah's second birthday I have been really enjoying every small moment with her. I love being home and watching her grow. Here are some things that we know about Hannah:

1. She loves to "gasp" at new things with her mouth open wide.
2. She can entertain herself with just about anything- as I write this she is pulling medical tape from the roll and ripping it off in sections.
3. She could watch cartoons (or any TV) for a reallllly long period of time.
4. She will dip anything in ketchup, applesauce, or ranch dressing.
5. If she finds a little crumb or a rock or anything small on the floor she will sit down and put it in between her toes- we have no idea why.
6. Shoes and hats are her favorite thing.
7. She can count to 10 (skipping 4 or 5 sometimes but then if I say them, she'll pick up again at 6).
8. "Daisy Girl" is her favorite doggy.
9. She loves to say "Hi boy" to people she sees on walks.
10. She has recently started saying "I love you" and I could hear her say it all day long.

Just pics!

Hannah loves peanut butter and apples!!!

It's summer!

Hannah loves getting in her little pool. It's perfect to set up in our backyard and not have to pack up all of our stuff to go somewhere. Her favorite thing is to scoop up the water and splash it everywhere. She has a blast and I love watching her have fun. Her giggles melt my heart.

The best part for me: sitting next to the pool and sticking my feet in! I just sunbathe while she has a blast. Oh the joys of summer!

We went to the Easter service on Saturday night and it rained... a lot. 

Hannah's Easter dress was from Grandma J.! It was light pink with little pearls at the top. The outfit was complete with lacey socks and cute little Mary Jane's (not shown). She looked so cute. You could tell that she enjoyed wearing it because she smiled everywhere she went!

We spent Easter Sunday with friends and family. Here is Hannah and Maggie posing in front of some rose bushes. Models already!

Hannah knows how to smell flowers. Here she is crinkling her nose and breathing real deep. She has to make that face in order to smell.

The Easter Bunny Came!

MMM Chocolate!

Hannah discovered jelly beans, goldfish, and chocolate in her eggs. Guess which one was her favorite??

She totally caught on to "looking for eggs" and putting them in her basket. It was so fun to watch her look. She said "ooooohhh" every time she found another egg. So cute!

Weekend Getaway!

Off to Tucson for a family weekend!

We decided it was time for a family get-away. Joining us was the Rath family- Nate, Sandy, Maggie, and baby Asher. We had so much fun. These pictures are of Hannah and Maggie playing in the creek that we found while hiking. Needless to say, Hannah did not care one bit that she was fully dressed and getting soaking wet. They had a blast!

Hannah still has her socks and shoes on in this picture. She loved splashing and jumping with Maggie! There was some algae in the water, so Hannah kept saying "yucky" but continued to splash around and SIT in it.

We also went to the zoo. I highly recommend it! It was in a great area with a huge park outside. We packed picnic lunches and relaxed after a few hours visiting the animals. Then we went to the playground- there were about five to choose from! No joke!

The weather was perfect. The kids had an awesome time and so did the grownups! I will remember this trip as one of my favorites!